When "Neighborhood Watch" Gets Out of Hand

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by Rupert Pupkin

Anyone can keep a close eye on their neighborhood and act as a neighborhood watch. Some neighborhoods have official neighborhood watches that are very well organized and people actually work shifts. In other neighborhoods, it may be less organized where people just do it when they have time.

I have no idea what the arrangement was in this case. It seems that Zimmerman had been doing it for a while. I think they said he had called police around 45 times over the last year. I would assume that he did the informal neighborhood watch with the blessing of his neighbors. We will see if any evidence comes out that his neighbors didn't want him doing this and they saw him as being overzealous and/or harassing people.

I would agree with you that neighborhood watch programs do not encourage vigilantism. They want people to call the police. They don't want people carrying guns and chasing people.

But all that being said, if the verbal altercation was over and Zimmerman was attacked as he was walking back to his car, I don't think there is much of a case against him.

You are the first person that I've heard say that there was no indication of a scuffle. If that is what the evidence shows (that there was no scuffle), then they should have a good case against Zimmerman.

the funeral director said there was no sign on martins body to indicate a fight of any kind.

and i've also heard the claim that zimmerman used the word 'coon' as a racial epithet on the 911 call. one of his friends went on t.v. and tried to say no, he said 'goon'. yeah, ok. i'd imagine it's based on that comment that many are saying it was racially motivated.